Murphy Building At 9805 Katy Fwy.

[wxman]

Found this in the chron this morning:

http://www.chron.com/business/article/New-office-tower-for-Memorial-City-area-3674881.php

[Texasota]

Well, it's boring, but at least it's also ugly.

[KinkaidAlum]

Looks pretty much like the former CEMEX Bldg and the one just finishing up construction right now.

[Montrose1100]

Looks pretty much like the former CEMEX Bldg and the one just finishing up construction right now.

Those two buildings look like they belong in Dubai in the year 2000. This one doesn't look so tacky, but as we all know rednerings are not contracts...

[VelvetJ]

Lol I'm telling you, there is something in the water in Houston.

[Pumapayam]

I don't like the combo of glass and stucco (or whatever that is)

I miss the simple and timeless look all an all glass curtain wall.

[mfastx]

I don't think it looks that bad. Of course its yet another generic office building "way out" on I-10, but it'll be nice to look at.

[tangledwoods]

I don't like the combo of glass and stucco (or whatever that is)

I miss the simple and timeless look all an all glass curtain wall.

It is precast concrete, they use precast because it is typically much cheaper than glass. We have been spoiled over the last few years with some really nice all glass mid-rise buildings. Now that the market is heating back up we are going to see glass prices rise and a whole lot more precast on these type of buildings.

[LTAWACS]

Horrible building. Horrible location.

[jgriff]

Horrible building. Horrible location.

Yep, it's a terrible location to put an office building. I guess that's why it's over 50% leased already.

[Pleak]

And it's so much worse than a strip center with a nail salon, mailbox etc, liquor store, dry cleaner and cell phone store.

[Gary]

_{Looks pretty similar to the Cemex building which is really not a bad looking design at street level.}

[livincinco]

Yep, it's a terrible location to put an office building. I guess that's why it's over 50% leased already.

A cluster of office buildings within walking distance of a major shopping center and close to a desirable residential neighborhood? What the heck were those people thinking?

[swtsig]

_{Looks pretty similar to the Cemex building which is really not a bad looking design at street level.}

All three are essentially the exact same building minus some minor aesthetic changes. Hence the reason MetroNational was able to snag nexen and Murphy.... Quick delivery.

[LTAWACS]

More like a complete and total lack of imagination.

[Pleak]

More like a complete and total lack of imagination.

If only they had built this, they would have made so much more money.

[LTAWACS]

If only they had built this, they would have made so much more money.

Yes. Instead we have an anonymous cookie-cutter home building far from the central core. UGH.

[Gary]

More like a complete and total lack of imagination.

LOL! If that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

[Gary]

All three are essentially the exact same building minus some minor aesthetic changes. Hence the reason MetroNational was able to snag nexen and Murphy.... Quick delivery.

Not awe inspiring or anything, but again, not bad at street level. I'm in the area daily and it's really coming along. The mall, restaurants, etc are packed virtually all day. Not to mention that it's pretty much connected to Town and Country which only solidifies this area of town as a big player.

While one could argue that it's homogenous, he or she couldn't argue the huge success that's come of the area.

[wxman]

Can somebody change the name of the thread to 'Murphy Building'?

Updated info:

Murphy building

Developer: MetroNational

Address: 9805 Interstate 10

Size: 14 stories, 320,000 square feet

Status: Groundbreaking scheduled for this month; Murphy Exploration & Production Co. has pre-leased 173,000 square feet

[jgriff]

I drove by there this weekend. There's all kinds of street level retail close by so I guess this must be hipster nirvana, right?

[mfastx]

I drove by there this weekend. There's all kinds of street level retail close by so I guess this must be hipster nirvana, right?

Nope, only when they build that light rail line down I-10 will it be a hipster nirvana.

[LTAWACS]

I drove by there this weekend. There's all kinds of random anonymouse cookie-cutter strip centers close by so I guess this must be hipster nirvana, right?

There. Fixed it for you.

[livincinco]

There. Fixed it for you.

Sounds like someone has ventured out of their cave for a while.

[jgriff]

There. Fixed it for you.

Edit: nevermind, arguing with you just brings me down to your level.

[SpringShadows]

I learned to ignore LTAWACS a long time ago on anything relating to Spring Branch. For some strange reason he/she appears threatened by every development in this area. Seriosly, scan the posts in the 35 Story Memorial Herman thread, it's pretty crazy. It's like they 4000+ posts of trolling. What a sad exisitance.

[livincinco]

I learned to ignore LTAWACS a long time ago on anything relating to Spring Branch. For some strange reason he/she appears threatened by every development in this area. Seriosly, scan the posts in the 35 Story Memorial Herman thread, it's pretty crazy. It's like they 4000+ posts of trolling. What a sad exisitance.

What I think is really funny is that this area is very close to becoming exactly the type of dense mixed use development that is currently deemed "good". The objection is that "it's too far out". Too far out for whom? If you live, work, and shop in the area, it ceases to be far out, it just becomes home.

I understand it's not an area that you could live without a car, but I think that it's pretty safe to say that the portion of the population that wants to live without a car is pretty small. You may need a car, but you wouldn't need to put a lot of miles on it.

I'm all in favor of continued infill and development inside the loop, but to suggest that all development needs to be forced inside the loop ignores the free market dynamics that I think are responsible for a large part of the growth during the last decade or so. People come to Houston because it has jobs, a good quality of life and a very reasonable cost of living. Some people want to live in an apartment and walk to work. Other people want to live outside the city, have a reasonable commute and a bigger house.

How about we continue to allow both and let people choose the lifestyle that suits them best?

[worldlyman]

I used to work at Memorial City Hospital long before the acquisition by the Hermann system. I might, now and then, feel a little nostalgic for some of the old things that were once there like those two little movie theaters (where'd I go sometimes before starting my shift) and Town N Country mall. But still...

I for one am amazed at the positive changes that are going on there. It's like the West part of Houston is gaining a high-powered satellite center. I'd be very interested in going to look at prospects at Memorial City - Memorial Hermann in the near future. That soon-to-be-finished mixed use development in front of the hospital at the corner of I-10 and Gessner is just more icing on the cake.

As much as I like going inner loop for some entertainment, I really do like having City Centre, Memorial City Mall and such as viable, more local options.

[woolie]

<insert comment disparaging the suburbs here>

<insert comment stating urbanity requires fragmented ownership>

[zaphod]

The only awkward thing about that area is the lack of connection between Memorial City and City Center. There's the I-10 frontage road, or you can drive through the neighborhood around the middle school.